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Caerphilly’s Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed she has a second cancer diagnosis.

The 32-year-old first announced she had breast cancer in May, during an interview with Hello! magazine.

In June she told The Mirror she was feeling “more positive” after surgery, but doctors have now found further tumours. The dancer will not be appearing in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing..

Appearing on Coppafeel’s, external Instagram chat with Erin Kennedy, Amy said: “I was originally going to have a lumpectomy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment.

“But then, after my MRI, they found another tumour so then it changed into a mastectomy and then, after my mastectomy, unfortunately, they found even more tumours.

“After my mastectomy, unfortunately they found even more tumours. Then they found another type of cancer.”

Amy said she was told she needed chemotherapy, which made her “scared”.

“But the oncologist did say that with chemo I’ve got a really good chance of a cure,” she added.

Amy revealed that she initially didn’t want the treatment because it meant she may have had to stop dancing.

But she added: “The oncologist said to me movement is really, really good for people on chemo, it’s important. So that was encouraging.”

Posting to Instagram to thank supporters she said: “The rest of the year looked very different to what was planned but hopefully I’ll enter 2024 cancer free and I’ll never take anything for granted and promise to live life to the full!

“Welsh love always.”

How to check for breast cancer

When she was 19, Amy was diagnosed with Crohn’s – a lifelong condition affecting the digestive system.

Throughout childhood, Amy experienced bouts of illness which caused her to be in and out of hospital. Ten years after her diagnosis, Amy began to speak publicly about the condition, having kept it quiet out of fear of discrimination and missing out on job opportunities.

In 2020, she starred in the BAFTA Cymru-winning documentary Crohn’s and Me, which showed the realities of living with the condition, which includes symptoms such as extreme abdominal pain, vomiting, exhaustion and diarrhoea.

Amy is also an ambassador for Crohn’s and Colitis UK.The NHS’ Breast Cancer Now helpline can be reached on 0345 077 1893.